Chalice of the Grail
by Aria6
Summary: Shirou survives the explosion of Fuyuki, but not because of Kiritsugu and Avalon. The Grail is attempting to purify itself and to do so, has found a new vessel. Can Shirou accomplish that, or is the Grail doomed to remain tainted? And what will this mean for Archer? Rated for canon-typical violence.
1. Chapter 1

Shirou was just walking home from school when it happened.

He was just a normal boy living in a normal suburb with his extremely normal adoptive parents. They were awfully nice. Shirou knew he'd been the sole survivor of the explosion of Fuyuki and several families had offered to take him, but this one had been chosen. Now he had two older sisters, one away in Tokyo and the other about to graduate. He also had a little brother, born just last year. Not expected but a really great surprise.

Shirou didn't expect any trouble. Yes, Fuyuki had a bit of a gang problem but this was the nice part of town and anyway, he went to the dojo regularly. And even if he HAD been expecting trouble, the voice in his ear would have caught him completely off guard anyway. Because there was no one there.

"Emiya." Huh?! Shirou started violently then turned his head, eyes wide. He caught the briefest glimpse of white hair and tanned skin before a knife went into his side.

"…?!" Shirou swayed on his feet, caught between disbelief and shock. There was a man beside him. He hadn't been there before. He was wearing a – a costume, like something from his sister's manga books. Or maybe an Avengers movie. Then the blade was being roughly extracted from his body and Shirou stared, lips parting in amazement as he saw the gush of blood from the wound. "…!" Stumbling back, he tried to staunch it with his hand but that was… futile…

"That's not my… name…" Shirou forced the words out even as his vision began to darken. The man across from him looked mildly surprised. "I'm Okubo… Shirou…" Somehow, it seemed important that his murderer at least know his name. Then Shirou was falling.

He didn't feel it when he landed.

hr

"…" Archer looked at the corpse at his feet, allowing his blades to dissolve into nothingness. It was still twitching, just a little, but as he watched the faint tremors stopped. Honey brown eyes were fixed and empty. "This was probably unnecessary then," Archer finally said before frowning to himself. "How did you survive the fire of Fuyuki?" What he'd said would imply Kiritsugu had not adopted him. "Or did you say no?" Archer murmured to himself. Was this a version of him who had decided to go into foster care instead? Then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Just another innocent casualty, lost for the greater good…" Although there was no good coming from this. Archer felt a kind of desolation as he gazed at the body. The fact that he was still present, after killing this Emiya… Okubo Shirou, indicated it had indeed been futile. "I'm sorry," he said softly before turning away. What was done was done. Archer dematerialized to return to his Master.

If he had stayed a half-hour longer, Archer would have seen something very interesting. But who would do a thing like that?

* * *

"…" His chest hurt. He couldn't feel anything else.

"…." Now he could feel more. He was cold.

"…" Wet too. Wet and cold and what was he doing?

"…" His fingers, he could feel them. And his eyes. Blinking, the world came back. It wavered crazily at first, like a defective TV screen, but then it came back. He was lying on the ground, cold and wet and it was late at night. What had been happening…?

Then everything came back. Walking home, after a good time playing checkers with Shinji. Sakura had made them scones, they had been delicious. Shirou had been alone, he knew he had, but a man had come out of nowhere and stabbed him! Suddenly shocked, he scrambled to his feet, wavering a bit.

"Holy shit," Shirou breathed as he looked at the massive pool of blood on the ground. That was why he was cold and wet. It had soaked into his clothes. "I… I…" He felt find though. How could he feel fine? His coat had a hole in it, a wide hole from the weapon that had taken his… his life. "I have to go home," Shirou mumbled. He needed to get out of here. He started walking but soon he was running. As he ran, Shirou prayed he'd be able to get to his room without alerting his parents and siblings.

There was no way he could explain the blood on his clothes.


	2. Chapter 2

In the Matou household, at roughly the same time Shirou was walking home.

"We need to invite Shirou over more Nii-san," Sakura said cheerfully, putting away a dish as Shinji took care of the checker board.

"Yar, yar. Shirou is a great guy," Shinji said as he put the board away. _The only person I'd ever invite here,_ he added to himself, glancing up the stairs where Zouken had retired for the night.

To most of his friends, his grandfather was creepy and a little scary. To Shinji, who knew him well, Zouken was horrifying, disgusting and utterly terrifying. Sakura was, if anything, even more scared. The only one who wasn't afraid of Zouken was Shirou. Normally Shinji thought that would have pissed his granddad off – he was used to being feared – but he actually _liked_ Shirou. Zouken _liking_ someone was a hard thing for Shinji to wrap his head around but damned if it wasn't true.

"He's so peaceful," Sakura said, gently wiping off another dish with a teacloth. "It's hard to be unhappy when Shirou is around. Even grandfather is happier." So. Weird.

"I'll see if he can come over again later this week," Shinji said before glancing at the bruised mark on Sakura's hand. "I mean, if you think it's safe." Shinji thought it was safe enough. Sakura was going to have a Servant by then and, well. The Matou manor was protected with… stuff. Hideous, horrible stuff.

"Oh yes, it should be fine Nii-san," Sakura's voice lowered as she finished putting the dishes away. "I wonder who I'll get?" She was going to be doing the summoning without a relic. Shinji shrugged fatalistically.

"Whatever we get." He was going to be involved too, not that he wanted to be. Zouken had made it clear it wasn't optional. Moved by a sudden kinship, Shinji gently put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "We're going to make it sis," he whispered, hoping he wasn't lying. Her hand reached up to grip his, giving him a small squeeze.

"Of course we will." Sakura's smile was brave. Shinji mentally cursed Zouken, for about the thousandth time. Sakura was too gentle for this. Well, if he had to, Shinji would be the bastard. He was good at it.

It was practically his only talent.

* * *

"Damnit," Shirou mumbled as he tried to salvage his coat. The shirt didn't matter, it had just gone into the trash but the coat was new and they couldn't just buy new coats at the drop of a hat. As his dad liked to mention, children were expensive. The coat really was trashed though. First he had to try to get the blood off, which wasn't easy since he didn't want to put it in the wash with the stuffing coming out.

Shirou finally managed to get the blood out, mostly. It was still a bit stained but that would have to do. Then he looked at the cut helplessly. He didn't know anything about sewing. If he didn't want to involve his mom, that meant…

"Anzu?" Shirou stuck his head in his sister's room. She was slumped over her keyboard, glowering at the computer screen. "Can you help me with something?"

"Yeah, sure, my brain is about to melt," she grunted, pushing herself away from the computer before standing. Anzu was imposingly tall for a girl, almost a head taller than him. She was just about the same height as their dad. Fortunately his other sister had taken after mom or Shirou would have been surrounded by giants. "What is it?"

"My jacket, it got cut when Shinji was horsing around," Shirou said, offering her the jacket and mentally apologizing to Shinji at the same time. But he had to blame this on something and the cut was too smooth, if he said he'd caught it on something Anzu would smell a rat. She took the jacket and whistled at the sight.

"What's this stain? You got sriracha or ketchup on it?" Yup. Ketchup. That was it. "Man, how'd this happen?! It went all the way through!"

"It was hanging up at the time and Shinji got it with scissors," Shirou lied. Anzu shook her head in disbelief, fingering the cut cloth.

"Well tell him to be more careful, someone could get hurt if he fools around like that," she said and Shirou had to hold back a semi-hysterical giggle. Yeah, someone could. "I can probably get this done tonight, it's not a big job."

"Thanks Anzu, I knew I could count on you," Shirou said gratefully and she flashed him a grin.

"You owe me brat," she said and Shirou made his escape before she could tack on some conditions.

Setting in to do his homework, Shirou found he couldn't concentrate. Not that that was a surprise. He'd been killed, _murdered,_ by someone who looked like an escapee from an anime convention. Although that costume… had looked real. Real in the way few costumes ever did. Shirou frowned, trying to remember everything. It was really hard, he'd only gotten a quick look. A red jacket, with silvery bits. Deeply tanned skin, white hair and warm brown eyes.

"I'll know him again," Shirou muttered. He'd know that man instantly. "But how am I alive?" Shirou pulled up his shirt again to check. Not even a scar. "…" Frowning, Shirou let his shirt fall down. "I have to find out what's going on," he said decisively. It was going to be tough since he had no idea where to start. And maybe he should enlist some help. "Shinji and Sakura," Shirou said decisively. They were his best friends.

It was a bit funny because it hadn't started out that way. Shirou let his mind dwell on the past for a moment. When he'd first met Shinji, he hadn't liked the way he treated his sister at all. Verbally berating her at the drop of the hat, mostly, but sometimes it got physical. The first time Shirou had realized that he'd taken Shinji aside and given him the sternest lecture he could, mimicking his father. Honestly, Shirou had expected Shinji to laugh at him but instead he'd taken it to heart. He'd never hurt Sakura again as far as Shirou could tell and his attitude towards her seemed to soften. Shirou wasn't sure why they'd been distant to start with but was glad to see it changing.

Now, Shinji had a sharp tongue and a nasty sense of humor but he was still a good friend. Sakura was incredibly sweet and reliable but also very timid. She was also a good friend. The main reason Shirou thought they might be good for this was their granddad. He didn't know exactly what was off about Zouken but he knew something was. Shirou was always nice to everyone but he tried to be extra nice to Zouken on account of it. He seemed to appreciate it, their granddad even smiled sometimes.

But Zouken was strange in ways Shirou couldn't really define and that made him hopeful that Shinji and Sakura would believe his story. That decided, Shirou was finally able to pay attention to his homework.

Even if he'd technically died today, life went on.

* * *

Shinji was not expecting what happened the next day AT ALL.

The first surprise was the identity of Sakura's Servant. Shinji had never heard of him but apparently he was pretty famous. He was also weird as fuck, which was alright as long as he could kill people. He'd already pissed Shinji off but he'd pissed off Zouken too. Overall, it was a wash.

Sakura was kind of straining to supply him mana though and the little fudgebot wasn't even doing anything. Shinji had a baaaad feeling about what might happen when their Servant really fired up. Granddad was working on fixing it but Shinji did NOT want to know how. He DID want their Servant to know, though. Shinji was pretty good at reading people and while he didn't think the Servant would turn on them – an obedient type – he was pretty sure the guy would denounce Zouken in that calm voice of his. That'd be fucking awesome to watch.

Right now the Servant was following them around, dematerialized. That was A-OK with Shinji. It meant, though, that the Servant got to hear their whole conversation with Shirou.

"Shinji, Sakura, I need your help," Shirou said, his honey brown eyes determined. Sakura was listening intently but Shinji was already tuning him out. Sakura would tell him if there was anything he needed to – "A strange man attacked me last night." Wait, WHAT? Shinji's attention abruptly snapped to the conversation.

"Oh no! What did he look like? Have you gone to the police?" Sakura said and Shinji watched as Shirou bit his lip and shook his head.

"No, I didn't because… they'd think I'm crazy. He didn't just attack me, he killed me," Shirou said quietly and Shinji decided the cops would be right. Shirou had obviously lost his mind. "He stabbed me right here… you can see where Anju sewed up my coat. I fell onto the ground and I was bleeding everywhere. I passed out and then I… I woke back up. My body was fine but the blood was all over everything."

"Uh huh. And what did this guy look like?" Shinji said firmly. Shirou was batshit crazy. Although his guilty conscience reminded him that they had a disembodied asshole floating around their heads. Still, dead people didn't come back to life that was fucking absurd.

Still, when Shirou described the guy who attacked him Shinji had a bad feeling. That sounded like a Servant, sure as shit. Maybe it hadn't been as bad as Shirou had thought? Shinji looked hard at the coat Shirou was wearing. It was stained. That really did look like blood.

 _It is blood,_ Shinji twitched a little at the voice in his head. Sakura had somehow shared her mental link to the Servant. How she'd done that, he had no idea and it was useful but Shinji also didn't like it. _I can smell it even in this state._ Really. That was a pretty big stain. _If that was the location of the wound it would be fatal._ …Ah great. Shirou could be lying but Shinji wasn't willing to bet a cent on it. Weird shit was afoot.

"Of course we'll help you Shirou. We'll keep an eye out for that man and tell you right away if we see anything," Sakura pledged and Shinji made a mental note to talk to her later. They'd have to figure out exactly how much they could tell Shirou. He wasn't a Master, he wasn't even a magus. "Oh, senpai, would you like to come to our house later this week? Grandpa would love to see you," Sakura said sweetly and Shinji almost gagged. Although Zouken wouldn't _mind_ seeing Shirou. That was as close to love as the old bastard got. Shirou smiled gratefully.

"I would love to. We can trade information then," Shirou said and Shinji sighed internally. They wouldn't be able to have much of a powwow really, since Shirou wasn't in on the Grail War. Just as well, it'd be an epic tragedy if he was hurt or killed. It would gut the whole school. Shinji thought Shirou was the heart and soul of this place.

They left to go home then and on the way, they talked quietly with each other and their Servant.

"Do you really think it was a Servant who attacked Shirou, Lancer-san?" Sakura asked quietly and the Servant pondered it for a moment.

 _Yes. But it was odd. I wonder if it was mistaken identity,_ he said and Shinji decided to put his oar in.

"Emiya was the name of one of the participants of the Fourth Grail War," he said and Sakura nodded. The Magus Killer. "I can't see anyone mistaking Shirou for someone like that but maybe they really look alike, I dunno." Shirou did a bang up job of killing spiders for the girls but that was it.

"Maybe someone wanted to feed from him," Sakura said quietly and Shinji was forcefully reminded of granddad and what he was doing to support Lancer. Didn't want to know the details, really didn't.

"We can't let that happen," Shinji said forcefully and Sakura nodded, her expression distressed. "You know, the manor is really well defended." That was putting it lightly, the worms were a fucking deathtrap and they didn't HAVE to stay in the pits. "Maybe Lancer could go watch Shirou while we're there."

 _If this is your will,_ Lancer said, his voice quietly accepting. Shinji grimaced, rubbing an eyebrow. Their Servant was _weird._ He obeyed orders with crazy loyalty yet said the stupidest things. Social graces? Was that a thing?

"Yes, do that. Make sure Shirou is safe, he is very dear to us. If you could speak to him he'd be dear to you too," Sakura said and Shinji was willing to bet she was right. Shirou had won over _Zouken._

Lancer would melt like butter under a blowtorch.


	3. Chapter 3

_The cup is made of solid gold._

 _That's the only thing remarkable about it. It's just a sake cup, like any other sake cup. Small. Unadorned. Yet, it seemed to glow with an inner radiance. He reached out to touch it –_

 _"No, not yet," a female voice, sweet and bell-like, spoke in his ear. A very white hand gently restrained him. "It needs to fill first." He turned his head to see ruby red eyes in a white face. It was a woman, but so perfect she hardly seemed real._

 _"Fill with what?" he asked but she ignored the question, smiling before she spoke._

 _"Miracles should come like flowers after a rain, unrestrained and beautiful, growing where they will." That was a beautiful image. "They should not be subject to mortal control." He lowered his hand, suddenly feeling like he shouldn't touch the cup. It made him feel so regretful, though, as he stared at the shining gold._

 _"I shouldn't then," he murmured and a bell-like laugh filled his ears._

 _"You are not mortal." Then a hideous sound made the dream shatter like glass –_

* * *

"Oh man," Shirou muttered as he ran to the bus stop, a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth. How had he managed to be so late?! He got to the bus stop just as it was pulling up.

"Oi, Shirou, you almost missed it." Shinji said laconically as Shirou boarded the bus. He took the seat in front of Shinji and Sakura, biting into his toast.

"Yeah, I got distracted…" Fawning over his little brother. Akio was ridiculously cute. The time had just seemed to slip away.

"Oh be more careful Nii-san, you know the bus never waits," Sakura said and Shirou smiled, taking another bite of toast. It wasn't much but it'd keep him going until lunch.

"I know." The bus driver was a bit of a curmudgeon and never made allowances for anybody. Some parents had complained when their daughter was on crutches but it never changed anything.

"Hey Shirou, did you hear what Issei said? It seems Kuzuki-san has a fiancée!" Shinji said and Shirou looked over the bus seat, surprised. Kuzuki? That was a little surprising and Shirou had trouble picturing it. Kuzuki-sensai had always seemed indifferent to that sort of thing. "Issei doesn't like her, you know how he is – " Yes, that silliness with Tohsaka seemed to have soured him on women. Shirou still wondered what the story was behind that but he wasn't going to ask. "But he said she's gorgeous!"

"I should congratulate him. Does Issei know when they're going to be having the wedding?" Shirou asked, interested. Shinji shook his head before Sakura spoke.

"I asked Kuzuki-san and he said it would be at least a year away. He also said Issei should not talk so much," Sakura said, a little distressed, and Shirou blinked. That… did sound like their very private instructor.

"Maybe I won't congratulate him then. But if he thought the school wouldn't hear about it, he's nuts," Shirou said and Shinji laughed. It was so true though, gossip flowed like rain. And speculation budded like flowers afterwards. Shirou blinked as he almost heard a laugh, at the very edge of his hearing.

They chatted a bit more before the bus pulled into school. Then they were going to their homeroom. As they did, Shirou noticed that girl… Tohsaka. She seemed to be speaking quietly to herself. Well, talking to yourself wasn't that odd. Shirou put it out of mind as he went into the classroom.

Whatever else was happening, school went on.

* * *

That day was a very nasty surprise for Archer.

He was following Rin around in his disembodied form. That was simply practical. If his Master insisted on going to school – which, admittedly, did seem to be a staging area for the Grail War – then he needed to be along. It was simple as that.

So he got the shock of his life when he saw the orange haired boy during Rin's lunch break.

 _How?!_ Archer thought to himself, utterly stunned as he floated over Rin's shoulder. That was his past self, sitting with Shinji and Sakura. Vaguely he noticed the interactions were very different from what he remembered – Sakura did not seem the least bit afraid of Shinji – but most of his attention was on Shirou. _How is he alive?_ He'd stabbed the boy right in the heart. What he was seeing was impossible. Yet, it was real. Archer turned his attention to Rin.

 _Rin, that boy there, the one with the orange hair. Who is he?_ Archer murmured softly. It was time to find out a bit more about his nemesis. Rin turned her head to look.

"Oh, that's Okubo Shirou. He was the only survivor of fire of Fuyuki," Rin said quietly before popping a grape in her mouth. "He's completely normal though, I checked. His survival was just a fluke." Really. Archer was silent for a long moment as he thought.

He wasn't going to tell Rin anything about his actions. She would most emphatically not approve. However, Shirou had to be involved in the Grail War. Had his Servant somehow healed him? It… was just barely possible. Archer couldn't think of a better explanation at least.

 _There is a Servant present,_ Archer finally said and saw Tohsaka's shoulders stiffen a little. _Could it be his?_

"…No. It's Sakura's," Rin said in a low tone and Archer sure she was right. But he would use it as a blind.

 _There's something odd about him. Are you sure the Servant couldn't be his?_ Rin shook her head, expression calm as she popped another grape in her mouth. _Would you mind if I look into him later, Master?_ Archer asked and Rin huffed.

"You can waste your time if you want Archer. Shirou has nothing to do with this," Rin said firmly and Archer was dead certain she was wrong. But he'd just gotten permission to investigate while Rin was safely behind her boundary fields. That would do.

The rest of the day was uneventful, except for a wary feeling as the two Servants acknowledged each other. The school during the day was a perfectly awful place for a confrontation, so that was all. Archer did try to feel out who it might be but came up empty. He couldn't recognize this Servant from simple sensing.

Before they left the school Archer checked on Shirou. He found the boy chatting with Shinji and Sakura as they waited for their bus. Hmm, where was his house? Rin likely wouldn't know. How frustrating.

Resigning himself to a bit of searching, Archer followed Rin home. He didn't dare leave her alone at such a time. Fortunately, nothing happened and he safely escorted her home. Then Archer was freed to go searching for the younger version of himself.

It was difficult and frustrating. The home he knew, that should have housed Emiya Shirou, held a small family. Archer knew where Shinji and Sakura lived, though. He'd never taken their bus but he could roughly guess where it went and began searching along that route. Archer was resigned to likely not finding Shirou tonight, in case he happened to be out walking.

To his surprise, though, Archer detected a Servant and not at the Matou house. Interested but wary, Archer cautiously scouted this particular house. It was a simple suburban home. Two story, without any kind of garage but extremely close to the bus lines. Archer tried to determine who was inside and was able to sense three – no, four, lives. No wait. Five? The last was so weak Archer couldn't be sure. Someone very young, very old or perhaps even very sick.

Archer debated if he should confront this Servant or retreat. He finally decided a confrontation was in order. Archer was confident in his abilities and it was quite late. He could test this Servant in the darkened streets.

Archer materialized in front of the house. That was a deliberate provocation and the other Servant materialized in front of the door. Archer stopped to examine his opponent and felt a chill down his spine. The other servant was a pale man with white, nearly translucent hair. His aquamarine eyes seemed to radiate a kind of calm savagery while his features had a subtly cruel cast. His costume was extremely flamboyant. He was festooned with gold and ruby gems, his armor black and gold. The weapon he held gave his class away.

"You are the one who hurt the boy," he said, his voice smooth and uninflected. "Why?" Those aquamarine eyes were penetrating but Archer had faced down far worse.

"Lancer," Archer returned smoothly, gazing at the lance. It was a fearsome looking thing, black and pink and almost too large to be handled. Lancer was scanning his face, blinking slowly.

"I see," he said and Archer frowned slightly. "I no longer need to ask." What? "I do not know why you would kill yourself but it is not permitted." Archer's breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened.

"You – how – " he stopped, choking off the words before he could incriminate himself further. Lancer cocked his head to one side, an oddly birdlike motion.

"You have changed your skin and hair, but the facial structure is unmistakeable. You are the child," Lancer said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Fury rose in Archer and he acted almost without thinking.

Almost. As Kenshou and Bakuya clashed with the heavenly spear, Archer evaluated his opponent. The strength and skill behind the spear was terrifying but Archer sensed a great deal of mana in use, even with no Noble Phantasm activated. This Servant would be impossible for a no-talent like Shirou to maintain. So either the Servant was supporting himself – it seemed unlikely – or this Servant didn't belong to Okubo at all.

After a particularly brutal clash, Archer's blades shattered. He leapt back, before deciding he'd learned enough. He retreated over the rooftops and did not feel the spirit following. As he went, though, Archer mentally castigated himself. He'd revealed a great deal to an enemy, all from his face! Yet, he'd never had anyone make the connection like that before. Who could that Servant be? Whoever he was, he was extremely dangerous.

Archer would try to determine the identity of that Servant, then report to Rin. Even if his Master was useless, Lancer was a strong competitor.

* * *

Karna watched the Servant go, mildly vexed with himself.

He'd determined something extremely important, that the boy living in the house behind him would eventually be a Heroic Spirit. Karna was honored to be protecting someone destined for greatness. Yet, that made the actions of the spirit more puzzling. Why would he kill himself? Was he in fact suicidal? Karna found it baffling.

What truly vexed him, though, was that he had not learned the Servant's class. He didn't think the spirit was a Saber but had not entirely ruled it out. The skill with which he employed his blades suggested it. However, he could be an Archer with backup melee weapons. Or he could even be a particularly strong Assassin. The way he'd attacked the child suggested it. Karna pursed his lips thoughtfully. The bright red coat was impractical for an Assassin but perhaps it had mystical properties.

Overall, Karna decided he was likely dealing with Assassin or Archer. The spirit just didn't seem strong enough to be a Saber. Settling in to mind his task, Karna waited patiently for daybreak.

When Sakura called him back, he would report the encounter and his suspicions.


	4. Chapter 4

"I apologize most humbly for my inability," Karna murmured as Shinji held Sakura. They were sitting on her bed.

"You should apologize! This is all your fault!" Shinji snapped, unable to hold back his anger. He couldn't believe how Karna had drained Sakura last night. Just a minor battle and her mana was almost GONE!

"Shinji, hush," Zouken said and Shinji bit back more angry words, fear of his grandfather easily overweighting his worry for Sakura. "Open her mouth." Oh ewwwgh. Shinji grimaced and made a 'get over here' gesture to Karna. The Heroic Spirit joined him on the other side of the bed.

"Hold her like this…" With Karna taking his place holding Sakura up, Shinji gently pried open her mouth. It wasn't difficult but putting the wriggling worm in the right way was hard. "Granddad, she can't swallow."

"Not a difficulty. The worm knows where to go," Zouken said and Shinji felt a bit sick. Karna just watched with calm eyes. The one good thing about their servant, if it was a good thing, was the worms didn't bother him any. A lot of Servants would probably be squicked out about now.

Fortunately, the worm he'd just put in Sakura's mouth was probably the least vile of Zouken's creations. A brand new type, something he'd never done before – there hadn't been a need before – it was a mana worm. Impregnated with mana, they literally popped as soon as they encountered stomach acid, filling any mage who ate one with mana. Shinji was glumly certain Sakura was going to be eating a lot of them and he DID NOT want to think about where the mana was coming from. Nope. Not thinking about it. But compared to all of Zouken's other worms, these things were cuddly little kittens. They did absolutely nothing but seek out stomach acid and pop.

Sakura woke with a start, blinking her eyes. Shinji was incredibly relieved to see that.

"Oh, Lancer? Shinji, grandpa? What happened?" Sakura said groggily and Karna explained.

"I engaged in battle last night, with the spirit that harmed your friend." Shinji nodded as Sakura's eyes went wide. Karna had already told them that. They'd gone to wake Sakura so she could be there for the full report and found the problem. "I drained your mana severely. I am sorry."

"Tch, do not be sorry," Zouken said and Shinji blinked. Granddad wasn't noted for being forgiving. "You are a Servant even a Brand would struggle to supply. It is no surprise my wretched granddaughter is having difficulties." …Thanks granddad. Sakura bit her lip, looking away in shame. Shinji gently squeezed her shoulder. "But this is a good difficulty to have. We shall fix it and you will unleash your holy fire against our enemies." …Well alright, that did sound good. Shinji supposed too strong of a Servant was a better problem to have than a really weak one. "Sakura, you will need to carry mana worms with you at all times. Use them if there is any sign of trouble." Sakura paled a little but nodded. "Now dress, Karna must report." Ah right.

"Yes grandfather," Sakura said obediently and they all took the hint to vacate. It wouldn't take long for Sakura to get dressed.

They all went to the most comfortable room in the mansion, one of the studies. Then Sakura joined them and they all got down to business.

"As ordered, I stood guard over the child's house. Night had fallen when the Servant in red appeared," Karna reported. "He is the child." …What?! "Despite the differences in coloring and age, the facial structure was unmistakeable." Well that was a fucking bombshell!

"Are… Are you sure? It couldn't be an ancestor or descendant?" Sakura asked and Karna shook his head firmly.

"No. The Servant reacted with shock when I stated my conclusion. There can be no doubt." Shinji tried to picture Shirou as a Heroic Spirit and came up blank. That was… completely absurd. Sakura thought the same.

"But Shirou is just so NICE! I… I guess maybe I could picture him becoming someone like, like Gandhi although even that's a stretch – " Yeah, Shirou was also completely normal. You just didn't picture him doing great things. "But this Servant stabbed him! I can't imagine Shirou doing something like that!" Karna simply shrugged and Shinji rubbed his forehead. This was giving him a headache.

"Hmm, interesting. I must examine the boy further," Zouken said and Shinji swallowed. Shit, that wasn't good. "What did you find out about the Servant?" Karna looked a little downcast at that.

"Aside from his identity, which does not tell us the nature of his Noble Phantasms, not much. He fought with two swords but I do not believe he is a Saber. I think he is likely either Archer or Assassin, although Saber cannot be entirely ruled out," Karna said and Shinji grimaced. He knew Shirou was good with a bow, he'd been in the archery team for a while, and he was also good in the dojo. But he'd learned to fight entirely for self-defence. As far as Shinji knew, he'd never had to use it.

"I believe we can rule Saber out. A modern Heroic Spirit would not employ a sword as a primary weapon," Zouken said and Shinji thought he was right. Who used a sword these days? "Archer is likely. Now we need to determine who owns him. Probably Tohsaka, but we cannot be sure. Hmm… Shinji, you will go to school. See if you can convince Shirou to come here today."

"No problem," Shinji said although he didn't really like it. "I'll just tell him we encountered that guy and he'll be over in a flash." And maybe it was better to get this over with. Zouken was going to look carefully at Shirou, they couldn't get around it. Granddad nodded before looking at Sakura.

"You will stay home from school to recover. You are still drained and the school must have at least one other Master. Karna, you will follow Shinji in disembodied state," Zouken said and Karna bowed slightly before dematerializing. Shinji sighed to himself. Alone with Karna, awesome. At least he wasn't talkative. Shinji wasn't sure he could take that.

"Be careful," Sakura murmured and Shinji gave her a reassuring smile.

"Just keep those mana worms with you and if Karna starts pulling hard, eat them." Their Servant was the only defense he had, for now at least. Shinji had been practicing with a gun and he'd damned well use it, but he couldn't take it to school. "I'll be fine." Tohsaka wasn't going to start shit in the middle of the day and Shinji was sure she was the only other Master at the school. Well, ninety percent sure. There was always that ten percent you-are-wrong-and-fucked factor.

Leaving for school, Shinji met Shirou at the bus stop and things went just like he expected.

"Hey Shirou, can you come over to my place after school? We've found out something about that guy you mentioned," Shinji said in a low tone, mindful of the other students. Shirou immediately brightened.

"Oh sure! I'd love to," Shirou said sincerely and Shinji reflect that he was the only one in the school who'd say that. "Thanks Shinji."

"Not a problem," Shinji said while cringing a little inside. What would happen if Shirou really was part of the Grail War? And how could he be part of it? An undiscovered, untrained magus maybe? What would Zouken do? And what could he do about it?

 _Not a fucking thing,_ Shinji thought glumly. If Zouken wanted to do in Shirou, there was not a single thing he could do. They could try to sic Karna on him but Shinji thought that would go horrifically badly. Not even Karna could get rid of all of Zouken's worms and what about the ones _inside Sakura?_ If the others were killed could he take her over? Shinji shuddered a little at the thought. He wouldn't be surprised either.

In a morose mood, Shinji didn't say much on the bus, except to tell Shirou that Sakura was under the weather and staying home for the day. Then when they got to class, Shinji concentrated on the lesson.

There wasn't much else he could do.

* * *

Disembodied over Rin's head, Archer almost giggled as she impatiently tapped a foot on the floor. Multiple teenage boys were peering out at her, uncertain what she wanted and more than a little afraid. The funniest thing was that he distinctly remembered this from the first time around. Soon Shirou would look out and point at himself –

And that wasn't what happened at all. Shirou stepped out, full of easy confidence and started to walk right past them. Rin had to reach out to snag his arm.

"Tohsaka?" Shirou blinked at her as Rin stared at him. Archer would have been intimidated by that stare but Shirou mostly seemed concerned? "Is something wrong?"

"Come with me right now," Rin said and Shirou frowned.

"No, I can't, I'm meeting Shinji for lunch," Shirou said before suddenly brightening. "Oh, come with me! We can have lunch together," Shirou said and Archer could almost hear Rin's teeth grinding together.

"No, I need to talk to you. Come on!" Rin began dragging a protesting Shirou away. Archer floated along behind them, extremely amused.

"Tohsaka, do you need help with something – Issei! Tell Shinji I'm being kidnapped and ask him to send help - !" Shirou called as Rin dragged him up the stairs. Archer sniggered silently. Somehow, he didn't think Shinji would take that seriously.

When they reached the roof, Rin immediately laid into Shirou.

"You're a Master," she said, staring sharply at the other boy. Shirou looked at her with wide-eyes, reminding Archer of a startled gazelle. "Don't bother to deny it!"

"Oh… kay? I won't?" Shirou said in confusion and Archer felt a little surprised. The boy really did seem genuinely confused. Yet, that Servant last night had to be his and must have saved him from Archer's attack. "What am I Master of exactly – ow!" Tohsaka swatted him with her lunch bag. "Tohsaka!"

"You have no idea what you're playing at," Rin seemed incandescently angry. This was exactly how she'd reacted when Archer had related the scene last night, so he wasn't surprised. "You need to get out of this immediately!" Shirou stared before frowning.

"Tohsaka, I have no idea what you're talking about and I think you need help," Shirou said just before the door suddenly slammed open.

"Tohsaka! Leave him alone," Shinji snapped and Archer was immediately on guard as the disembodied Servant above him seemed to radiate silent hostility. It was like having a knife pointed at his throat and Archer responded in kind. "Shirou, go with Issei! Leave this to me."

"Shinji, are you – AWK!" Shinji grabbed Shirou by the collar and propelled him towards the stairs. Archer almost mistook it for the way he'd used to treat Sakura but then as Shinji turned back to them, he realized the boy's action had been motivated by fear for Shirou. Interesting. Shinji in this particular timeline was very different from the boy he knew.

"What do you think you're doing Tohsaka, involving Shirou in this?" Shinji hissed and Tohsaka hissed back.

"He's already involved, unless you were idiot enough to put your Servant to protecting him!" Shinji's eyes widened and Archer felt a bit of shock as he realized that was _exactly_ what had happened. The Matou Servant had been guarding Shirou? On _Shinji's_ orders? Archer mentally cursed himself for allowing himself to be blinded by his own past. He'd observed that Shinji seemed very different here, why hadn't he followed the thought to the logical conclusion?

"Well why did you have your Servant try to kill him? Or was he just feeding?" Shinji snarled back and Tohsaka stared at him before suddenly snapping her gaze towards her disembodied Servant. Archer was indifferent to her censure. It hardly mattered now since this version of Shirou could not possibly be the one that went into making him. "Shirou has nothing to do with the War at this time," Archer noted that qualification. Interesting. "But he's under the protection of the House of Matou. Leave him alone Tohsaka!" Then Shinji was stalking away and his Servant gave one last feeling of menace before following. So the Matou family owned Lancer. Interesting.

"Archer, what have you done," Tohsaka said quietly and Archer felt her temper straining.

 _I was a bit peckish and he was walking around alone, late at night,_ Archer said mildly. Rin's hand tightened around her lunch bag.

"You are never to feed on a human being again. I will enforce this with a command seal if necessary," Rin said, her voice utterly cold. Archer regretted the damage this would do to their bond but it just couldn't be helped. He didn't have a better excuse. However.

 _Rin, that boy should be dead. I did not sense a Servant nearby and even if Lancer had been there, he hardly seems the kind to have potent healing abilities._ Archer couldn't be sure of that but knowing the Servant belong to Matou… it was unlikely he'd been anywhere near Shirou at the time of the first stabbing. _Shinji might claim otherwise but that child is involved in the Grail War._

"It seems an odd coincidence that you would manage to attack someone who doesn't die," Rin's tone was acerbic. Archer said nothing. "Ugh, I can't trust you at all can I."

 _You can trust that I have my Master's best interests in mind,_ Archer said smoothly and Rin huffed before walking back down the stairs. He noticed she hadn't eaten her lunch. Perhaps the conversation had made her lose her appetite. Well, it couldn't be helped.

It hurt a bit, but Rin would be wise not to trust him.

* * *

Shirou was a little confused by his lunchtime events.

Tohsaka was acting weird and a little crazy. Shirou didn't actually know her much at all. They didn't share classes and she was on the outs with Issei, who was one of his friends. Shinji claimed that Tohsaka didn't like him because Shirou rivalled her in popularity. While Shirou wasn't sure of that – it seemed petty – it was true that he and Tohsaka were not really friends.

So Tohsaka's actions were bizarre and Shinji's follow up and been almost as weird. Shirou didn't like being shoved around but at the same time, he'd been able to tell Shinji was afraid for him. Why? What was he afraid Tohsaka might do?

"Shirou, what is going on with you and Tohsaka?" Issei asked as they escaped to the lunch room. Shirou could only shrug helplessly.

"I have no idea." Issei looked skeptical. "Maybe Shinji can explain it when he gets back."

Shinji, though, wasn't interested in explaining. When he came back he was in a seriously foul mood.

"It's not your business Issei. Shirou, I'll tell you more at my place." That satisfied him although Issei was definitely unhappy, frowning at them both.

"Hmph. Well, if you have more problems with Tohsaka let me know," he said and Shirou nodded. Then the conversation went to lighter things as they ate their lunch. Shirou got to hear about the archery team. He was seriously thinking of signing up again, he still practiced at home and was very good.

The rest of the day went pretty normally except for Tohsaka shooting them a glare as they went for the bus. Shinji seemed kind of depressed though. Shirou wasn't sure why. Then he frowned. Was the news about that guy in red really bad? That could explain it.

Shirou got off at Shinji's stop, pulling out his cell phone and shooting off a quick text to his family. He went to Shinji's and Sakura's house all the time so he was sure they'd be okay with it. Pretty soon he got to the Matou house and paused to admire it. It was a really great place, a huge mansion and the kind of house he dreamed of having someday. Well, with a wife and four kids and maybe one of his sisters and her husband and kids too. It was a big place.

Smiling at himself – talk about unattainable wishes! – Shirou went inside. He hung his jacket up just as Sakura came down the stairs. Shirou was immediately concerned.

"Hey, Sakura, are you feeling better?" To Shirou's eyes she didn't look very good, pale and unhappy. Sakura focused on him, managing a small smile.

"I'm fine senpai. Please, come to the kitchen, grandpa is waiting," Sakura said and Shirou was happy to go, even if Shinji seemed a bit glum.

In the kitchen, though, was something really, _really_ weird.

"Oh, hello!" Shirou said on autopilot as he took in the ghostly white man in black and red. He was making tea? He turned his head and smiled, just a touch. Shirou thought it was enchanting. "I'm Okubo Shirou," he said and the other man's smile widened.

"I am Lancer," he said, his voice oddly toneless. Yet, to Shirou he sounded welcoming. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please," Shirou said with a smile, already feeling like he could be Lancer's friend. Although. "Um, Shinji, what's he doing here?" Shirou asked very quietly as they all took a seat at the kitchen table. Shinji smiled although it looked kind of forced.

"Granddad is getting tired and Sakura has a lot of schoolwork so granddad decided to hire him as a servant," Shinji explained and Shirou blinked before nodding. That made sense, he'd wondered how they kept this place clean before. It was so big, even Shinji and Sakura working together would have trouble. Then Zouken shuffled in as Lancer was putting out the tea.

"Ah, Shirou. It is good to see you boy," Zouken said and Shirou smiled at him, trying the tea. It was really good! "I see you have met Lancer. He is an excellent Servant," the old man said and Shirou could tell Lancer didn't care for him too much. "And he encountered your man in red."

"Really? What happened?" Shirou said, vaguely aware that Sakura was looking distressed and Shinji grim, while Zouken was looking at him intently. His concentration was on Lancer. Lancer blinked, sipping his tea before explaining.

"It happened outside your house." Shirou froze at that. The guy in red had followed him home? The thought sent a chill down his spine as he thought about his family. They were completely defenseless. "I spoke to him there but did not learn much before he attacked me." That confirmed all his worst fears and Shirou swallowed. "I am told you are adopted?"

"Yes… wait, you think this has something to do with my birth family?" Shirou asked and Lancer blinked before glancing at Zouken.

"It is plausible. Can you tell us anything about them?" Lancer asked and Shirou had to shake his head.

"No one was ever able to find out anything about them," Shirou said honestly. Then he frowned. "How could the man in red know anything about them?" His history before the fire was completely unknown. They'd really tried, sorting through the birth records, but that had turned up way too many possibilities.

"Child, I think you should rest a moment," Zouken said and Shirou blinked. Rest a moment? Why would he… rest… Shirou was vaguely aware of Lancer catching him as he fell off the chair.

Then, oblivion.

* * *

Karna considered himself to be in an unenviable position.

Karna did not have a problem with insects. They had never bothered him, even as a child. He'd never really given them much thought, though, before he'd joined the Matou family as a Servant. Now, he'd read several books on the subject – the Matou library had many, for obvious reasons – and Karna could see the charm. They were remarkably durable little things, able to survive in insane conditions. They bred very quickly and were nearly unnoticeable. So small but in terms of biomass, insects were the dominant lifeforms of the planet. They could be parasites or symbiotes. Why wouldn't a magus turn to insects in their quest for power and knowledge?

Of course they would, and they had. Karna was relatively sure the Matou weren't the first and wouldn't be the last magi fascinated with bugs. The problem with the worms of the Matou, in Karna's opinion, could be summed up in two words. Matou Zouken. The patriarch of the Matou clan had used his worms to prevent his death but could not forestall his decay and to Karna, the man's very soul was rotting. If he could have, Karna would have killed him and let the Mage Crest of the Matou family pass fully onto Sakura. She could do something remarkable with insects, he was sure. But he could not. Zouken's consciousness resided in all his worms, including those he'd implanted in Sakura. The thought did not make Karna angry because nothing made him angry, but it made him… implacable. If Karna saw an opportunity to destroy Zouken he would not hesitate to grab it.

Unfortunately, no such opportunity existed. So Karna materialized himself in his room – it was kind of them to give him a room – and changed into street clothing, black slacks and a bright red t-shirt with a black leather jacket overtop. Dressed like this he could finally meet the boy he was protecting. Going to the kitchen – they would be meeting there, so they could have tea while they spoke – Karna began brewing the tea. He was very good at it by now.

Shirou was the first to walk into the kitchen and he was surprised to see a stranger, but the child's smile was like a ray of sunshine. In fact, his whole presence was like sunshine, warming the room. Karna had already observed that at the school and he had a theory about why it might be so.

Zouken's putting Shirou to sleep was the wisest course, in many ways. Karna did not think they would learn much from talking to the child. And yet, it also put Karna in a quandry. Should he mention his suspicions? If he did, Shirou's life would suddenly be more valuable. Surely Zouken was already contemplating getting rid of the inconvenient child. His liking for Shirou was not much protection, sadly.

"I cannot see anything of interest about him," Zouken pronounced after a thorough examination. "Hmm, perhaps exposing him to the worms?" Sakura went very pale and Shinji put an arm around her. Karna knew he had to speak.

"He carries an aura of divinity," he said and everyone looked at him. "Is it possible he is the offspring of a god?" Karna asked with all due seriousness.

"Do not be ridiculous. The gods are gone," Zouken brushed away Karna's words, still looking at Shirou intently.

"But granddad… Karna, what do you mean?" Sakura asked, to his relief. Karna tried to explain.

"Those touched by the gods carry a distinct aura. A kind of charisma, it varies in type," Karna said, trying hard to define it. "It can be intimidating, it can be inspiring or it can be welcoming. Shirou is welcoming." Although it was more profound than that. Karna had been observing the child all day and thought he was a linchpin of the school. Shirou himself was almost unaware of it, but he was a natural leader in his quiet way. "He expects the best from those around him and it is almost impossible to disappoint him." The snare of his aura made it nearly anathema.

"Hmm. I wonder…" Zouken thought about it for a moment and Karna quietly prayed he was reconsidering the worms. "Karna, take him downstairs, to the workroom." That was not the worm pit but it was close. Karna sighed internally before obeying. "I will speak to his parents. We will keep him for at least the night. I must study him further." Karna dreaded what that study might entail but there was nothing he could do. He carried the boy downstairs before gently setting him on an examination bench. There were worms crawling up the walls and Karna gazed at them sadly for a moment before turning to leave.

Insects were wonderful things but Matou Zouken had turned them into an abomination.


End file.
